Recap / The Big Bang Theory S 2 E 23 The Monopolar Expedition

Plot

In the second season finale, Sheldon is offered by the university to lead a three-month expedition to the Arctic Circle in search of magnetic monopoles, and he invites Leonard, Howard, and Raj to go with him as his team. However, Penny secretly has reservations about Leonard being gone for the summer.

Tropes:

• All for Nothing:
  • In the Cold Open, Sheldon makes Leonard think there was something wrong with the formula he was working on. After "correcting" it, it turns out Sheldon was just pranking him. "Bazinga!"
  • Sheldon makes the others practice working at the Cheesecake Factory freezer to get used to the conditions at the North Pole. Then Leonard suggests that most of their work could be done inside the warm cabin before taking the instruments outside, and the whole thing is dropped.
• Analogy Backfire: While in the Cheesecake Factory's freezer, Sheldon tries to convince the others not to give up and innovate, reminding them how in The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo cut open a dead Tantan and used its body heat to keep a freezing Luke warm. Howard's takeaway from it?
  Howard: You heard the man. Hold him down and I'll cut him open!
• And There Was Much Rejoicing: The others are very enthusiastic upon hearing that Sheldon accepted the offer to go to the Arctic Circle.
• Angry Guard Dog: According to Sheldon, he only left President Siebert's property after the man's wife unleashed the dogs.
• Ask a Stupid Question...: Mulling over this opportunity, Sheldon asks if anyone could really imagine him being at the North Pole. Leonard says he most definitely is.
• Brick Joke: Howard is hesitant about going on the trip, saying being with Sheldon for that long without a break might prompt him to build a crossbow and use it on him. Later, up at the North Pole, an irritated Howard responds to Sheldon's orders by working on a crossbow.
• Catchphrase: This episode marks the first instance of Sheldon saying "Bazinga!"
• Dumbass Has a Point: While the actual activities Sheldon has them perform in the Cheesecake Factory freezer ARE absurd and ridiculous, it was actually a very legitimate concern that his team had zero training to use their equipment in anything approaching extreme cold weather, and it was not unreasonable for the team to have some kind of practice and training in operating their equipment in extreme cold conditions BEFORE they got there.
• Irony: Once set up in their North Pole cabin, Leonard is disappointed to find there's no ice in the fridge.
• "Jump Off a Bridge" Rebuttal: When Raj's parents object to him going to the North Pole.
  Mrs. Koothrappali: If the other guys jumped in the Bay of Bengal and tried to swim to Sri Lanka, would you follow them?
  Raj: If you were standing behind me nagging, I might.
• Mundane Wish: The guys ponder what they could do with Sheldon away all summer.
  Raj: We could play outside.
  Howard: We could sit on the left side of the couch.
  Leonard: I could use the bathroom at 8:20.
  Raj: Our dreams are very small, aren't they?
• Oblivious to Love: Double subverted. Between Penny saying she'd miss him, making him a going away gift, and giving him a really long hug, Leonard is left wondering if it means something more or if he's just misinterpreting signals. Ultimately, he resolves to simply ask her about it, believes her when she denies everything, and misses the Wham Line.
• Sanity Slippage: Howard feels being cooped up in close quarters with Sheldon for three months non-stop will push him past the breaking point.
  Howard: I could also be the engineer that builds the crossbow that kills Sheldon.
• Shout-Out: Up at the North Pole, Howard suggests Ice Station Zebra or The Thing (1982) for movie night. Raj suggests making it a double feature.
• Stating the Simple Solution: When Sheldon is trying to get Leonard, Raj and Howard to adjust to the freezing temperatures of the North Pole in the Cheesecake Factory freezer by having them practice putting equipment together, Leonard suggests that they simply put the equipment together in the warmth of the cabin then take it outside. Sheldon admits that he hadn't thought of that.
• A Taste Of His Own Medicine: When Sheldon knocked on Penny's door in his usual fashion, she did it right back at him.
• Truth in Television: Magnetic monopoles are real in the sense that real life scientists have been looking for them ever since Paul Dirac postulated their existence in 1931. In 2013, four years after this episode first aired, an expedition to the Artic Circle examined polar volcanic rocks for monopoles, according to Physics World, without success. As of 2022, cosmic rays and particle accelerators are the most promising avenue of research for finding monopoles, according to EurekAlert!.
• Waking Non Sequitur: Leonard wakes up Sheldon in the middle of the night, and he responds with "I want another cookie, Meemaw."
• Wham Line: As Penny says goodbye to Leonard. (Bear in mind they are no longer dating at this point in the series.)
  Penny: Have a safe trip. Goodbye. [closes door] It means I wish you weren't going.